Introduction
We live in a reality where, as racialised queer communities, the society we find ourselves in does not and will not fully see, acknowledge, understand, and include us. A society full of actors that actively threaten our rights, our spaces, our expression, and access to society and demonise and dehumanise our peoples. We are often made to feel isolated – outcasts in a society where we have the right to belong and be loved.
Our vision
Nothing about us, without us.
Colored Qollective ultimately envisions a society that is not just tolerant, but inclusive and decolonial in all aspects. A society where racialised queer people have a seat at the table and are fully seen, heard, and acknowledged. Where we can freely be ourselves, belong, and love and be loved.
We will not do this alone. We will build coalitions across different types of partners in pursuit of this vision – collaborating and working together with public bodies, fellow organisations, and (other actors in) civil society committed to the inclusion of marginalised communities and in particular of racialised queer communities. We will make use of our platform to especially support, stand in solidarity with, and amplify the voices of those from our communities that are systematically excluded, neglected, and oppressed, such as those illegalised or forced to flee.
Brick by brick, with each other and with our partners, we will work to build a society that genuinely includes us.
While we pursue this, we will continue to build a community of safety, support, strength, care, and love by and for racialised queer people. We will live these values proudly within Colored Qollective, ensuring an organisation that is truly decolonial, inclusive, and intersectional – with peoples from across diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, walks of life, and expertises.
Our mission
Colored Qollective is a foundation by and for racialised, ethnicised, and migrantised LGBTQIA+ people. We are committed to the fostering of community and safe spaces – for us, of us, by us. We seek to foster these spaces where our peoples can find safety, support, strength, care, and love, and at the same time amplify our voices to advocate for the rights of our peoples, in particular the rights of those facing injustices, marginalised, illegalised, or forced to flee.
In these efforts, we aim to develop a community with other racialised queer people who share in our values and believe in our vision of self-organisation, collective action, and love. A community that, in the diversity of our differences, stand united in our common struggle.
Through this, we foster a community in which we determine our own agenda and implement it under our own conditions – one fundamentally based on principles of decoloniality, inclusivity, and intersectionality. A community where we can embrace ourselves proudly and find strength and love in each other, while we fight for an inclusive society that does the same.
Our action
Community-building and care
- Providing a community and safe space, physical and online, for racialised queer people to find each other and to be and embrace ourselves.
- Providing accessible and inclusive care, mental and physical, to racialised queer people and the most marginalised.
- Supporting, guiding, and referring racialised queer people to the resources they need in the Utrecht region and beyond.
Collective action, advocacy, and visibility
- Taking part in or coordinating collective actions advocating for our rights, from protests and marches to statements and petitions.
- Lobbying with and advocating to political movements and parties as well as local, regional and national public bodies and governments to have our voices heard at the policy and political level.
- Taking part in Pride, including our boat at Utrecht Canal Pride, to make our communities be heard and seen loudly and proudly.
Network and coalition-building
- Forming coalitions and organising collaborations and joint initiatives with public bodies, organisations, and civil society committed to welfare and care, inclusion, advocacy, and human rights.
- Participating in national, European, and international organisations, taking part in their congresses, and learning from them in order to better expand our network and the efficacy of our work.
- Taking part in network meetings to promote cooperation between intercultural initiatives locally, regionally, and nationally.
Knowledge-sharing and awareness-raising
- Providing trainings and workshops to professionals, schools and universities, cultural sensitivity and intersectionality bodies, and other organisations and civil society.
- (Co-)organising and taking part in initiatives to share knowledge, such as symposia, conferences, and more.
- Taking part in expert meetings, roundtables, stakeholder meetings, knowledge community meetings, and other efforts to share our knowledges.